Service Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Service Designer

Company: Absa Group

Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Customer Experience Design / Service Operations

Date Posted: 2026-05-28

Experience Level: 2-5 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is instrumental in solving complex customer experience challenges across end-to-end journeys and organizational systems, requiring a deep understanding of service design principles and systems thinking.

• The Service Designer will be responsible for mapping and analysing customer journeys, service ecosystems, and cross-channel interactions to uncover critical insights and opportunities for improvement.

• A key aspect of this position involves co-creating innovative service solutions with cross-functional teams, including Product, UX, CX, and Operations stakeholders, ensuring operational feasibility and scalability.

• The role demands the ability to translate research findings into tangible service concepts, service blueprints, and actionable journey improvements that enhance the overall customer experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Service Designer" title and the description focusing on end-to-end experience, channels, and organizational systems, this role is positioned within the broader GTM operations spectrum, specifically bridging customer experience design with operational execution. The emphasis on "backstage" operations, processes, and technology suggests a strong connection to operational effectiveness and efficiency.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Apply a comprehensive suite of service design methods to diagnose and resolve intricate customer experience challenges across the entire service lifecycle.

• Conduct in-depth user research, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, to gain a profound understanding of customer needs, pain points, and behaviours.

• Develop detailed customer journey maps, service blueprints, and ecosystem maps to visualize current states and identify areas for strategic enhancement.

• Collaborate closely with product, UX, CX, Operations, and business stakeholders to facilitate co-creation and ensure alignment of service solutions.

• Design and iterate on integrated service experiences that seamlessly connect digital platforms (apps, web), human interactions (branch, call centre), and underlying operational processes.

• Ensure that designed services are not only customer-centric but also operationally feasible, scalable, and consistently aligned with Absa design standards and brand experience.

• Actively advocate for service design principles, systems thinking, and customer-centricity across various teams and departments.

• Facilitate workshops and design thinking sessions to foster innovation and drive the adoption of service design methodologies.

• Contribute to the growth of service design maturity within the organization by sharing insights, case studies, and practical examples of end-to-end service improvements and their measurable impact.

• Continuously research and disseminate global service design standards, frameworks, and best practices to elevate the team's capability in designing connected, scalable, and customer-centric services.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a need for a candidate who can bridge the gap between customer-facing design and internal operational realities. The emphasis on "operational feasibility" and "aligning people, processes, and technology" highlights the operations aspect of this service design role.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• A minimum of 2-5 years of experience in a relevant field such as Service Design, UX Design, Customer Experience (CX) Design, or a related operations-focused role with a strong design component.

• Demonstrated experience in applying service design methods and frameworks to solve complex business problems.

Required Skills:

• Service Design: Deep understanding and practical application of service design principles, methodologies, and tools.

• Systems Thinking: Ability to analyze complex systems, understand interdependencies, and design holistic solutions.

• Customer Journey Mapping: Proficiency in creating detailed and insightful customer journey maps.

• Service Blueprinting: Expertise in developing comprehensive service blueprints that illustrate frontstage and backstage elements.

• User Research: Strong skills in conducting both qualitative and quantitative user research to uncover deep customer insights.

• Co-creation: Proven ability to facilitate and participate in collaborative design sessions with diverse stakeholders.

• Problem Solving: Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities to address complex experience challenges.

• Stakeholder Management: Ability to effectively engage with and influence stakeholders across various departments and levels.

• Data Analysis: Competence in analyzing customer feedback, operational data, and analytics to inform design decisions.

• Workshop Facilitation: Skilled in leading workshops and design thinking sessions.

Preferred Skills:

• UX/CX Design: Experience in User Experience (UX) or Customer Experience (CX) design principles and practices.

• Ecosystem Mapping: Ability to map and understand complex service ecosystems.

• Design Standards & Brand Experience: Understanding of how to maintain consistency with organizational design standards and brand guidelines.

• Agile Methodologies: Familiarity with Agile development processes and how service design integrates within them.

• Financial Services Industry: Experience or understanding of the banking or financial services sector.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required educational background in scientific or mathematical fields suggests a preference for analytical and structured thinking, which is crucial for complex problem-solving in service design and operations. The experience level of 2-5 years indicates a role for an individual who is moving beyond foundational skills into more independent application and contribution.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing end-to-end service design projects, demonstrating a clear understanding of the design process from research to implementation.

• Case studies that illustrate the application of service design methods such